Austin Reaves, 28, Shapes Lakers' Future Plans After Max Deal

Q: Is Austin Reaves' record contract a brilliant investment or a dangerous new precedent for the NBA?

It is a justified investment for the Lakers, but one that also reflects a riskier NBA spending trend. For Los Angeles, the logic is strong. Reaves is 28, coming off a career-best season of 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds, and he has become a clear on-court fit with Luka Dončić. The Lakers are not paying for a hypothetical breakout; they are paying to keep a proven high-level guard who was central to their post-LeBron reset. Rival interest reportedly pushed his market to the max, so this was not simply internal overvaluation. It also corrects years in which Reaves was underpaid because of CBA restrictions on undrafted players. The bigger concern is what the deal says about the market. Four years and $185 million is a record for an undrafted player and max money for someone who is not yet a perennial top-tier superstar. That raises the bar for comparable guards across the league. In the second-apron era, those contracts can quickly squeeze roster depth, especially for teams like the Lakers that have already spent heavily and moved major draft capital for Walker Kessler. That is where the danger lies. If Reaves remains an All-Star-level No. 2 option, the contract will look smart. If he settles closer to a very good complementary player, the Lakers may find themselves top-heavy, expensive and short on flexibility. So this is less a reckless gamble than a high-cost bet that Reaves can sustain near-star production while helping justify a new pricing standard.

3 articles · Updated · Silver Screen and Roll · Jul 14

Austin Reaves said he spent the offseason in regular talks with Luka Dončić, coach JJ Redick and president Rob Pelinka about the Lakers' direction after re-signing on a max contract.
Reaves said the group is trying to build something sustainable "for not just now but the future," noting he is already the team's oldest player at 28 as Los Angeles gets younger.
That role reflects a broader power shift: with LeBron James gone from the center of decision-making, the Lakers are now building around Dončić and Reaves as their top two stars.
The offseason has already reshaped the roster — including the reported addition of Walker Kessler at Dončić's urging — with the new-look Lakers set to be judged once play begins this fall.